The purpose of the General Scientific Core B is to assist investigators in animal surgery, electrophysiology, immunocytochemistry, transmission electron microscopy, and image analysis requirements for the Program Project faculty. The Core also assists investigators in various biochemical analyses and viral vector production. The Core facilities consist of personnel and equipment needed to perform the proposed studies in Projects 1 through 3. This Core will conduct general animal preparation, including anesthesia, intubation, catheterization, temperature monitoring, and regulation of physiological variables. The Core will assist investigators in preparing the animals for traumatic brain injury, as described in the individual projects. In addition, expertise is available to modify experimental animal preparations that may be required for future investigations. Core personnel will perform perfusion, fixation, and removal of brains for light and electron microscopic examination. Core personnel will carry out immunocytochemical procedures, as well as develop new procedures for the visualization of additional antibodies. The Core will process tissue for plastic embedding for both light and electron microscopic analysis. High quality thin sections will be produced by personnel within this Core and stained for ultrastructural analysis. Established image analysis procedures using non-biased stereological procedures to quantify the frequency of immunoreactive cells, as well as to determine contusion areas and volumes will be utilized.